Destroy My World
by Noc and NC
Summary: After a hasty retreat from the palace, Bakura is bitten by a snake.
1. Bitten and Licked

Chapter One  
_—Bitten and Licked—_

He wandered through the dunes in front of him, legs strong but starting to weaken. It mattered not. His horse had collapsed and been abandoned some miles back- the man had no use for creatures that could not carry him better then his own two feet.

It had been a close encounter with the Pharaoh that night, and the thief was angered to say he had underestimated his enemy's ability just slightly. Retreating with a few souvenirs that mattered little to him but had great value to the ruler he hated, Bakura trudged through the sandy winds that attempted to slow him down.

Things looked a little unfamiliar, having not visited this area of the land very often, and why should he have? It was far from the palace gates, far from his goals. Only tonight would such distance be useful, as it served as a hiding place from the soldiers that hunted him.

A faint rattling made the thief freeze, his grey eyes scanning the surrounding area with alertness. A hiss quickly accompanied the rattling and Bakura pulled out a dagger.

"A mere snake won't catch me" he growled, throwing the blade in the direction of the noise.

The only sound to interrupt the rattles was that of metal piercing sand. The hissing continued, and before the thief king could realize his situation there was a sharp pain surging through his calf, the rattle snake sinking its venomous fangs into his exposed skin.

With a sharp movement Bakura crushed the snake's head underfoot, uncaring as the action torn the serpent's teeth from his flesh violently.

Blood seeped into the sand as poison started to seep into his veins and immediately he decided to blame the Pharaoh for this, as it was his fault Bakura had wandered into some apparent snake territory in the first place.

"I'm not going to die" he hissed defiantly. "I'm not going to die…I'm not going to die…"

As his numbing body sunk to the blood speckled sand, Bakura continued to chant the words like a mantra, even as his vision was obscured by colors of cream and copper and then nothing but black.

* * *

He awoke to a rather strange sensation coming from the lower half of his body. A hand pressing against his thigh and soft…sucking?

He flicked his eyes open, weariness making his sight blurry and painful to use as he looked downwards.

A figure was crouched at his legs, holding one in their lap as they bent over it. The person was a woman, the thief realized as his vision cleared and his sense of touch became more real, his knee brushing against her breasts. The female's lips were firmly on his calf, precisely where the snake had bitten him. She was sucking gently and steadily on the wound, with one hand inside his robe to squeeze his thigh.

"Your hand, there…" he started, referring to the one gripping his upper leg. "It's in a bit of a risky spot, don't you think?"

He winced, disappointed with how tired he sounded but managing to pull on a smirk as her eyelids fluttered open to reveal roan hued eyes. He saw her cheeks flush slightly but she remained at task, continuing for a moment before removing her mouth and hands from him.

The woman swallowed what he assumed to be blood and traces of poison before she smiled, her face still tinged.

"It can't be helped" she told the man, her voice soft and fine. "I wanted to extract any poison I could, and placing pressure on your upper leg was a big help to me. I'm sorry for the discomfort"

"I wouldn't say what I felt was…_discomfort_" he replied, his voice stronger then before. She frowned and looked away, though only for a moment. "Either way, I don't want apologies. Where is this? Why aren't I dead yet? I can tell from the light outside that it's far past the time at which the snake's poison should have done me in"

"Ah…" she opened her mouth, hesitant on speaking. "Ah, yes. You see, I found you near my house. I treated you"

The thief snorted. "You _saved_ me, you mean to say? Why go through the trouble of that?" he couldn't move, he noted mentally. Not a lot, anyways. Just curling his fingers felt difficult. "Don't you know who I am, woman?"

"I didn't save you selflessly" she informed him, getting to her feet. Bakura finally noticed he was on a bed and not sand like he was used to. "You were bitten by one of my snakes. A few had gotten loose, so it was my fault. Who you are doesn't make a difference to me in that situation"

"One of _your_ snakes?" Bakura questioned.

"I'm a snake tamer, my duty being to raise them and place their venom in my body to produce medicines. How else would I have the antidote for that snake bite?"

He stared up at her, caught between a glare and a smirk. "I suppose I own you my life, then?"

"No" she answered with eyes obscured by ginger colored hair. "You almost died because of me, so I'm the one who has a dept to pay"

The man didn't want to bother replying to such an unnatural sounding statement, so he changed the subject. "Why can't I move?"

"The antidote takes about five days to destroy the poison in one's body. Until then, you'll be feeling pretty weak, I'm afraid. I wasn't able to remove much my self"

Bakura wanted to growl at the words she spoke but felt too tired to do so. Sleep was ebbing at his vision again.

"I'll leave now, so you rest" the ginger haired female told him, her feet padding towards the exit quietly. "I don't advise you to get up"

The thief king had fallen asleep before she had finished talking.

* * *

"So you just left him there?" the sandy blonde haired woman questioned, her lavender eyes shocked. "Isn't that sort of dangerous?"

The roan eyed figure shook her head, pulling some herbs up from where they were rooted in the garden soil. "No, I'm very familiar with the sedative effects of the medicine I gave him. He'll still be asleep when I get back"

That didn't make the blonde's frown disappear. "I don't like the sound of it though…letting him stay in your house while you're all alone? What if he attacked you?"

"He's as weak as a baby feline right now, Mai" the woman retorted smartly. "He doesn't even have a reason to harm me. I'm not keeping him prisoner"

Mai scoffed at the remark. "Maybe that's how you see it, but you're annoyingly strict with your patients! I felt like a caged rat the last time you treated me!"

"How could you _say _that?" the ginger headed one asked in a flattering tone. "You're _far_ to pretty to be comparing yourself to musty creatures…"

The blonde fluffed her hair "Well, of course I am!"

The redhead smiled. Mai was easy to distract sometimes.

"So tell me then, what does he look like?"

Pausing in her work of uprooting plants, the roan eyed women started at the garden disapprovingly. "What does he look like? Oh Mai, he's not your type. All scarred up with unkempt hair, tattered clothing and bitten fingernails"

She could picture Mai making a pouting face as she spoke. "Really? Well that's a pity"

"It is, isn't it?" the redhead agreed sympathetically before looking at her company with a glare. "Now are you going to help me collect these herbs or just stand there and watch?"

"Just stand and watch" was the whimsy reply.

* * *

She acted like a cat, Bakura decided when he woke up, watching her as she padded around the room in black slippers, almost soundless. Careful of where her feet went and ever aware of what was beneath her she moved, her cream colored robes flowing with her.

"Woman" he announced, deciding it was time to make his conscious state known.

Her reaction was as feline-like as he had predicted, the woman's head jerking smoothly towards the sound of his voice, roan eyes skimming over the floor to meet his half-lidded grey ones. "Good evening" she told him, relaxed. "Did I wake you?"

"Yes" he lied, bothered by her pleasantries. In truth he had been awake before she had entered the room but kept silent, curious of what her presence was for.

"I'm sorry" she apologized, and Bakura hated it. It was the second time she'd said that to him since their meeting, which was more apologies then he'd been given his whole life. It was strange and he felt far too comatose to deal with strange things just then.

"I had been trying to be quite" she continued. "I'm surprised; usually people stay asleep for two whole days after I administer the medicine, but you're very unstable in your sleep. You must have a strong urge to hurry and get better. Rushing yourself isn't good though, as it'll only make you more tired in the end. Just sleep"

"Shut up" he told her finally, feeling good to have said the words. "I hate your voice. Go away"

He had expected her to leave as he had told her- to be hurt by his demand and flee. Instead her feet hit the floor with more force then he knew was normal, carrying her to him. Quickly she was staring down at the thief, her arms crossed over her chest and her mouth turned downwards into a frown.

"I know my snakes nearly killed you but that doesn't mean you can speak to me like that" she snipped, her eyes hard. Not nearly as hard as his own, but enough for a woman. "If you want me to go then ask, don't insult me and order me to get out of my own home"

Sneering up at her he played along, because he still couldn't manage to sit up. "Leave…_please_"

She did as he sarcastically requested, exiting the room with the same faint footsteps she had used when she entered.

Groaning quietly as he tried to fight sleep, Bakura wondered offhandedly where his outer robes had gone and if it was smart or stupid of the woman to take his knives from him.

* * *

"You're able to move a bit, I see" the woman told him the next morning when she walked into the room to see him attempting to crawl towards the door. "Didn't I tell you to stay in bed?"

"I have to relieve myself" he told her, smirking inwardly as an uncomfortable expression crossed her face. "Help me walk"

Gingerly she took him by the wrist and forearm, pulling him to his feet. He let his body fall against her, feeling triumphant when her frame shook under the weight. Wrapping one of his arms around her neck and keeping silent as his free hand slinked somewhere on her hip she shuffled herself and her patient to the latrine, where a no doubt awkward moment for the female passed waiting for him to finish.

"You're _very_ nice" he told her innocently as they were making their way back to the room he was to sleep in. "I don't think anyone's _ever_ been _this nice_ to me before" he continued, letting dark tones slip into his voice, leaning closer then necessary to murmur in her ear. "Why are you so nice?"

Her mouth was pursed so as they neared the bed Bakura purposely lost his footing, sending both their bodies to the floor. She let out a breathless yelp as her back thudded on the ground, the thief falling on top of her, grinning.

"I can guess why you're so nice" he hissed at her, arms trying not to shake as he held himself up. "You took my weapons from me. Disarmed me. Now why would you do that?" he let his arms weaken, the weight of his body pressing into her. "You're scared of me, aren't you?"

Her reply wasn't what he had expected. Instead of shivering or whimpering or freezing up she kneed him in the stomach, rolling the thief's pain jolted form off her. She was quick getting to her feet as he coughed, curling on his side.

"Bitch!" he snarled, clutching at his stomach.

"Extreme physical activity is unadvised" she told him in a tone that didn't fit her pretty face. "Stay here and rest. Once you think you have enough strength to hold down a woman who weights less then a hundred pounds, then go ahead and try"

With those as her parting words she spun on her heel and disappeared from sight.

* * *

"Say…" started the woman near her as they strolled through the market, the morning sun just starting to get hot.

"Mmm?"

"How's your little patient doing?"

The ginger haired woman frowned. "He's not little at all. Very heavy"

Mai rolled her eyes at the response. "Forget I tried to talk teasingly to you. Serious this time, how is he?"

"His recovery is rapid" the snake tamer replied. "He might by up and about in just another two days or so"

"Really? So does that mean I'll get to meet him?"

"Mai…he really isn't your type"

"You aren't usually this defensive towards your patients" the blonde pried, smirking knowingly. "I have a suspicion you're just keeping some beautiful man all to yourself before you have to spend the night with that priest…not that such ideas make much sense, he's very attractive…"

The roan eyed woman sighed as she inspected a basket of apples. "There are some men in this world that might find your flirtatious nature to be more annoying then appealing, and this man is one of them…" she pointed at the fruits while glancing at the vendor's owner. "How old are these?"

"A day and a half" answered the man.

"Nonsense!" Mai scoffed. "No one can resist my charm!"

The snake tamer was the one rolling her eyes then, paying for a few apples of her choice before they continued down the market street.

* * *

I'm sure I haven't watched Yu-Gi-Oh in about three years, but recently I gained the ability to download the Japanese version and might I say its faaantabulous. There's violence and everything. I like the Memory arc the most, since it involves children's card games the least! Haw haw haw.

With my skills as an author somewhat honed I decided it was finally time to write in this fandom, since I had been very eager to do so five years prior to now but knew I was lacking in skill. Not that I'm top notch now, I know I'm not super awesome, but I'm better then back then, anyways.

This chapter starts off around episode 203-204, before Bakura goes to take the Millennium Ring from Mahado, but I'm altering the timeline slightly to make it so they still haven't run into Bakura yet when Kisara is introduced. I suppose this story could be used to explain Diabound's change in appearance and the priests' inability to find Bakura…but it doesn't have to.

I purposely didn't introduce my OC's name this chapter, completely because Bakura doesn't care who she is and she doesn't care who he is so they have no reason to get acquainted with each other, and that's that. She probably does know who he is, but as far as she's concerned he's just a patient (abet a slightly dangerous one) whom she is obligated to treat. Finally, in the last scene with her and Bakura, he was trying to intimidate her, not molest her…just in case someone thought otherwise. If I was Bakura, I'd be irked at the idea of some woman being unafraid of my presence.

Thanks for reading, reviews would be appreciated.


	2. Laced With Danger

Chapter Two  
—_Laced With Danger_—

_Cold. The nights in the desert were always cold, and it was something she had grown accustomed to. _

_Despite this she found herself shivering. Goosebumps coated her skin as she hugged herself, walking in an aimless direction. Everything was dark- darker then what was normal. She couldn't even spot the moonlight, though there weren't many windows in her house to begin with. Her bare feet padded on the stone beneath her, quiet as ever._

_As if to contrast this her heartbeat had doubled in volume, pounding against her ribcage in slow, forced motions in an attempt to warm her body. It made her dizzy, and she searched blindly for a place to sit down and rest, if only for just a moment. Her hands outstretched, she pawed hesitantly at the air. _

_Her toes were what made contact with solidity. Pulling her arms down she gripped what she had run onto tightly, her fingers sinking into soft, cotton-like warmth. A bed. Sighing with relief at having found something to rest on her heart stopped its painful actions, resuming a regular pace. Pulling herself up onto the bed she snuggled into the blankets and the warmth inside of them. _

_So warm, she thought while laying her head down. She shut her eyes, though it was dark as ever behind her eyelids._

* * *

It was still warm when she opened her eyes. Far, far warmer then she was used to, which was probably what caused her to stir. Her position felt odd and so did her pillow her and things smelt strange.

Not bad, maybe, but strange. She inhaled a bit deeper. Salty, musky, _spicy_. It smelt spicy, that was the word she was looking for. Different from her usual plain washed sheets. Coming to the conclusion that she couldn't possibly be in her bed, the woman opened her eyes a bit wider, willing them to adjust to the darkness of the room.

Oh, was the first thing she thought. Well this certainly isn't my bed.

It wasn't often she tended to sleep-walk, though she had done it once or twice as a child. Doing it now as an adult felt a little embarrassing, she found, and her company probably doesn't like people crawling into his bed in the middle of the night.

Her actions didn't seem to have woken him, though, which was always good.

Peeking up at him, she chewed on her lip a little. He's sound asleep and shouldn't be waking up any time soon, she reasoned with herself. I haven't gotten a good chance to look at him until now, so it should be okay. Just for a little while…

She slowly moved herself off of him and sat on the bed with her legs tucked under her, her eyes never leaving the patient.

She might have called him attractive, looking at his sleeping form, but she knew what his eyes looked like when he was awake so such a description was impossible. Cold and sharp like a knife, his irises even held a steel color in them. He was too dangerous to attract anything accept death, that's what that gaze of his told her. He was handsome though, maybe even beautiful with an athletically muscular form and a well-shaped face- though the expressions he wore weren't very appealing, all sarcastic half-crazy grins and occasional frowns.

He had a scar on that face of his, running down his cheek from his right eye and stopping a little before his jaw, with two smaller scars running through it. How he might have gotten such peculiar wounds, the woman couldn't imagine.

She forgot herself and reached outwards tentatively, brushing a thumb and forefinger over the marred skin. As to be expected there were faint indents where the scars lay, a slight rippling under her thump pad.

Repeating the action with slower tracing, she fought against herself to not gasp in fright when a hand suddenly took hold of her wrist. His grip was not very strong, but the fact that it was on her at all was startling. He shouldn't have woken up so easily.

Immediately her roan eyes flicked from her hand to his eyes, which stared back at her with more liveliness then she'd had yet to see.

"What are you doing?" was his question, quiet and suspicious but not altogether angry.

"Sleepwalking" she replied.

He grinned, looking humored but insane. Laughter formed in his throat, low and faint at first and then louder, breaking through the silence of the room like a snake's teeth through skin.

"_Sleepwalking?_" Bakura repeated, still laughing, still griping her wrist with all the strength he had. "You can't call that _sleepwalking_, woman!" another bit of laughter followed his words.

The snake tamer licked her lips, mouth dry. "Well," she explained while flexing her captured hand with discomfort. "The first part was sleepwalking, the second was…"

They met eyes again, and she accidentally told the truth.

"My wayward curiosity"

* * *

"Good afternoon!" Mai cooed to her when they met in the street, the sandy blonde carrying a basket of flowers with her. "Where are you off too?"

"I wanted to come visit you, actually" the ginger haired woman replied casually, glancing at the flower basket. "Where are _you_ off to?"

"Hmm? I'm on my way to offer a give to the new pharaoh" Mai replied, smiling. "These flowers cost me a bunch of pretty coins, so I'll be furious if he's allergic to any of them"

"I see…" the snake tamer bit her lip. "Maybe I should offer something too"

"Oh, you needn't do that, darling" the blonde waved her hand in the air. "Since you do so much for them already…"

"That much is true" the redhead agreed. "But I can't help but feel a tiny bit guilty"

"Guilty?" the other woman queried. "What for?"

"Nothing!" she sighed. "Don't worry about it. I'm just mumbling to myself"

"You do that a lot"

"Hush"

The two women walked beside each other in silence for a while, the indistinguishable chatter running over their ears as they moved through the crowds. A voice louder then the rest caught their attention, as well as several others'.

"Damn!" shouted a man who was being dragged through the street of people by soldiers. "Let me go!"

Mai gasped when he was thrown into a group of soldiers and priests which had quickly appeared.

"High priest!" announced one of the soldiers who had thrown down the man. "We found this exiled criminal in the bar!"

The blonde and redhead wormed there way closer as the apparent criminal in exile was forced to sit up and face the high priest Seto, who let out a brief noise of disapproval.

"An exile? Shadha, search for the presence of a Ka in the soul of this man" he instructed to the other priest amongst the soldiers.

The priest brandished his Millennium Ankh, requesting that it let him see into the soul of the captured man.

The women watched on as he was deemed to be a possible threat to the people, the soldier dragging him away with as much force or maybe more then before. He screamed of the presence of a white dragon and divine punishment as Seto left the busy street with sudden vigor, Shadha following with hesitance as the remaining soldiers did the same.

"What was that about?" someone muttered.

"Strange things going on lately" another grumbled.

"Haven't there been too many soldiers about lately?"

"It's because of that thief king, you see" a man was quick to answer his wife.

"Let's go, Mai" the ginger haired snake tamer urged, shoving her way through the people. "It's way to hot outside today"

"Go where?" the blonde asked hopefully. "To your house?"

The medicine maker frowned. "No, yours"

"Why mine?" Mai huffed.

"I don't want to wake the patient"

"You just don't want me to _meet_ the patient…"

* * *

She and Mai had spent the rest of the afternoon together drinking honey water to keep cool, the shelter of Mai's home not quite enough to do the job. When the sky started to turn orange Mai left to give her offering to the new pharaoh as she had intended to earlier, and the snake tamer made a small stop at a vendor to purchase cooking supplies before heading home.

The baskets she carried were heavier then normal, since she was cooking for two people.

There was a certain sort of happiness she got knowing she was feeding more then herself, and the woman was pleased when her efforts created a rather well looking and smelling meal, but all joyful emotions she had were dashed upon presenting it to her patient.

"What is this?" he asked while gesturing to the bowl set in front of him.

"Food" she replied evenly.

"I can see that" Bakura snapped in annoyance. "What sort of food?"

"Potato soup. It's filling but easy to swallow and digest. Very good for sick people"

"I'm not _sick_" he growled, refusing to look at the meal any longer.

"There's poison in you. That qualifies as being sick" the ginger haired woman argued.

The thief glared up at her, a rare frown on his face. "Is this punishment for not letting you have your way with me?" he asked daringly, the usual smirk returning to his face. "Because I'd much rather have that"

She tossed a spoon carelessly onto his lap. "You eat that or nothing else" she finalized, leaving the room with a series of quick, soundless steps and clenched fists.

Angry, she took a seat at her dining table and served herself some soup, stirring it in irritation as steam fluttered in the air. Why the man's comments made her upset, she couldn't understand.

Lifting her spoon to her lips, the woman chewed thoughtfully on the bits of potato and meat inside her mouth, swallowing it with the broth. Her tongue burned as she repeated the actions until the bowl was empty.

It tasted good, but her stomach twisted, knots of unhappiness settling inside of her.

Had she been expecting him to say 'thank you' to her?

The knots tightened and she sighed sadly.

Wayward, indeed.

* * *

As a snake tamer and maker of medicines to counter various poisons, it was her role to care for snakes and have their poison mix into her blood. It was by doing this that she could create anti-bodies inside of herself, which when mixed with various herbs could be used to cure others.

The combining of venom and blood was to be done regularly, to ensure the immunity to it was kept strong. To cool her nerves, she had decided to do so now, having not performed the mixing in several weeks' time.

The moon was high in the night sky and partly blotched by clouds as she padded faintly towards the large class cage where her pets were confined. Opening the door to it she slipped inside, sealing the entrance after herself.

A snake slithered across the ground to coil around her leg, hissing faintly at her skin's warmth, no doubt enjoying the feel of her flowing veins.

"Come here, off my leg" she murmured, bending downwards slowly. Her arm outstretched, she tilted her wrist so it was visible to the serpent. Faint indents ran over the flesh, and a fresh mark was made as the reptile sank its teeth into the copper skin of the snake tamer.

She winced while being injected with its venom, steadily relaxing as the snake released her and flicked out its tongue, sliding away as it lost interest.

Holding her lightly bleeding wrist in front of her eyes, she smiled half-heartedly at her bite mark.

"You were rougher on me then before" she told the snake, who had long since hid away in the many plants within its cage. "I suppose I needed it though. My thoughts have been too willful as of late"

She exited the large cage that contained her many serpents, closing it after throwing a few mice for them to eat. They squeaked while falling on the sandy earth in the cage, pawing helplessly on the glass of their new prison.

"Sorry" she told the mice, wrapping a thin bandage around her arm. "I sympathize. My body is only for others, just like you"

Their pleading squeaks and frantic pawing clung to her ears, and she jumped uncontrollably when one let out a shrill screech as it was swallowed whole.

* * *

"What happened to your wrist?"

She was surprised by his supposed display of worry, or at least curiosity, and looked at him as he ate the breakfast she had given him. Bakura was chewing in a loud, rude way that said he still didn't like what he was being fed, and it made her scrunch her face up.

"I was performing the mixing last night. It's where I allow the snake to bite me in order for my body to obtain the poison. Why?"

The thief king snorted, some of his off-kilter laughter sounding through the food in his mouth.

"I had hoped you'd been slitting your wrists over my poor attitude" he replied after swallowing what was in his mouth. "If you died I could just lap up your blood and finally be relieved of this hindering poison"

She frowned, all thoughts of thinking better of him completely gone. "For one thing, I wouldn't kill myself over something trivial like your _poor attitude_, and you're wrong in thinking my blood is like a medicine" she closed a hand around her sore wrist absently. "My blood is far more poisonous to others then a simple snake bite would be. It takes weeks of preparation and mixing of the proper herbs to create medicines from it"

"Hmmm…" he looked to the side, board. "Is that so…?"

"I shouldn't have said anything" she heard herself scoff. "Better to kill myself and have you drink my poisonous blood unknowingly"

Nearly slapping a hand over her mouth in shock of herself, she flinched when he barked out a laugh.

"Then why don't you kill me yourself?" the man questioned, his eyes following her as she started to rush from the room. "Even though you're caring for me, you don't seem to like me very much"

She paused in her footsteps, hand still around her wrist. The same wrist the snake had bitten into hours ago and the same wrist the thief's hand had gripped with equal tightness as she was enforcing now.

"Of course I don't like you" she murmured, not caring if he heard her clearly or not. "You have such dangerous eyes. I don't mind snake bites, but I don't want a human to hurt me"

"You think I'm human?" the woman heard Bakura hiss tauntingly as she carried herself away from him. "You're wrong"

* * *

A somewhat chilling ending for my second chapter in DMW! I was super happy I even got one review for the first chapter, since it was enough to keep my going, even with exams and ISUs piling up!

I have yet to reveal the OC's name, as there has yet been a reason for Bakura to ask for it, nor her to give it. I'll have to admit it's a bit annoying because descriptions are hassling to write when I can't match a name to it. I'll probably have her name announced next chapter.

Showed some in-anime happenings today, though such scenes won't be happening very often. Actually, I doubt that'll ever happen again! I dislike those scenes! They make me sad!

Anyways, thanks for reading, I hope for good responses!


	3. Through Your Veins

Chapter Three  
—_Through Your Veins—_

Sweating slightly from more then just the heat, the snake tamer entered the small shed at the side of her house. Her blonde companion followed after her at a leisurely pace.

"They found a strange woman in the village today" Mai told her as the redhead busied herself with grinding dried herbs.

"Really?" she pretended to be interested. "What kind of strange? Crazy?"

"Well, I didn't see it firsthand or anything, so I don't whether she was crazy or not. The woman _looked_ strange was what I meant. White hair and skin, with big blue eyes! Probably an illegal foreigner, if I had to take a guess" the woman crossed her arms. "The villagers were throwing stones at her and Seto intervened"

"Really?" the ginger haired female echoed herself. Mai's surprising words had brought her back to reality. "It's rare for him to help people needlessly like that, especially if their a possible threat"

"Well, she _was_ a very _pretty_ foreigner" Mai emphasized.

"I thought you said you hadn't seen her"

"I said I didn't see the whole scene, but she limped past me a few minutes beforehand"

"You didn't go help?"

The lavender eyed woman shrugged. "Why defend a criminal? It's okay if the high priest does it, but if I tried something like that I'd be thrown in jail along with her" she pointed out uneasily. A small sniff of indigence followed her words and she looked to the side. "Would _you_ do it?"

"Help a criminal, you mean?" her throat tightened as she spoke, heart rate almost tripling. The woman's voice barely remained steady as she continued. "If the right circumstances befell me, I suppose I would. Such as, if I nearly killed them through being foolish, then I'd be obligated to help them out"

"That's the big difference between you and me, darling" the blonde said with a sigh. "You're so honor-bound"

"It's harder to be like that then I make it look" the medicine maker assured her. "Don't worry; you're the normal one, not me"

"Well I didn't doubt _that_" Mai chuckled, batting a hand in the air. "You don't have to tell me such obvious things!"

The redhead scowled as her gesture of kindness was shot down, grinding the slowly powdering herbs with more force then necessary.

* * *

Mai had left with some forceful prodding, a basket of medicines in hand to be delivered to the palace.

Now the cool evening winds were stirring up bits of sand, and even with her resolve to avoid returning to the interior of her home she could not stay outside any longer, shivers running over her skin. Her hair was whipped up from her neck and face, the sudden bareness making her shivering strengthen. The figure walked into her house silently, her feet moving with hesitance.

The conversation with Bakura that morning had her startled, and she admitted this to herself silently as she crept through the halls of her home, the faintest inkling of fear wringing her neck.

Breathing tightly, she turned towards her room and rushed to the bed, throwing off her clothing in the process. The rustling linen and humming of gold ornaments hitting the floor together sounded in her ears as her head hit the pillow, the woman's legs coiling tightly in blankets strewn beneath her. Franticly she pulled at the layers of cloth, covering her bare skin with irrational urgency.

Sleep, sleep, she chanted to herself. This is your home. Your room. You are safe here. Nothing will come and get you.

Sighing, she pulled the blankets over her head in search of comfort.

"You are safe" she repeated aloud, her voice little more then a whimper as a now dead mouse's screech echoed from beyond the walls.

I'm not going to get eaten.

* * *

She tried to be careful while slipping into the storage room, and while her movements were quieter then ever, it seemed her guest could sense her presence no matter how delicately she shifted through the space between them.

"Welcome back"

The sound of his voice made her go stiff, her joints locking in place. Sleeping had not gone well, and the overtiredness weighing her down limited her will to move even more. Almost shuddering she turned to him, a mask of fearlessness placed over her face.

"You shouldn't talk like it's your home" she told him as calmly as possible, hands gripping the object she had come to retrieve with rigid fingers. "Or else I might mistake you for a pet dog greeting my return"

Her words had been daring, but the woman compelled herself to not show fear.

His reaction was as she had expected- a slight sneer and a loud bark of laughter to match his expression. Shaking, Bakura pushed himself to sit up, his upper back resting against the wall behind him as he continued to laugh quietly. The thief's steel colored eyes tried to catch her roan ones and she found it impossible to match his actions. Quickly she blinked, her gaze darting down to his lower half still covered by sheets.

"I should check your wound" she informed him, searching desperately for something that could distract him from her all too obvious discomfort with meeting his eyes.

"Very well" the man agreed, appearing to be waiting for her to walk closer.

Trying to keep herself from biting her lip, she padded over to the bed, setting down the item in her hands so they could work on pulling down the blankets. Immediately a look of shock crossed her face, the skin of her cheeks reddening drastically. Bakura grinned wickedly at her reaction.

"I was hot" he explained with a drawl.

"I see" she almost chocked out the response, her hands shaking as she undid the bandage around his calve.

"You seem so startled! Is this the first time you've seen a man naked?"

Uncertain if she should answer, the woman ran a thumb over the nearly healed wound on his leg, seeing no sign of infection. "Yes" she told him finally, the heat of her skin maddening.

"Oho…really…" he sounded a bit surprised, but she might have been imagining it. "So how old are you, by the way?"

"Nineteen" she answered, feeling horrified with how much like a mouse she sounded. She shouldn't have even _told_ him, because immediately he started laughing again.

"Holding out for someone?" he asked through his laughter. "You're some sort of pathetic romantic, aren't you?"

The accusation made anger flash through her, and her shyness was forgotten as she looked up at his face, glaring fiercely. "I can't give myself to whomever I please!" she snarled, her fists clenched. The words must have caught him by surprise because his laughter died down quickly, Bakura's eyes observing her.

Bitterness clinging to her tongue, the woman's voice was quiet when she spoke next. "My duty is to the priests. As a medicine maker my family is to be tied to those priests. My child will continue this life when I die. The lineage must be maintained" she swallowed something in her throat. "Being a romantic is impossible"

He frowned at her, a truly rare sight for anyone to see. Silence drifted through the room slowly, making the atmosphere feel thick and heavy. Weakly she turned her eyes back to his calve, tying up the bandage with fingers that hesitated to touch.

"It's healing very well" she murmured, giving the bandaged leg another glance before turning her eyes away from him completely. "No infections, either"

"Come here, woman"

She whipped her head around sharply, her expression questioning.

"Come here" he repeated. "I'm not going to _bite you_ or anything"

It was completely senseless to do anything he told her to, and this was a very clear thought in her mind as she stepped closer to where he sat, her hands pressing lightly on the mattress near his arm, face close to his as she leaned forward. The possibility of being bitten by him was a light danger compared to what she was caught in at that very moment.

Abruptly she felt a crushing sensation on her form and her knees buckled, the woman's body crumpling against his bare chest. The redhead felt pain shoot through her legs as they sprawled awkwardly beneath her, knees unable to touch the floor but remaining bent as her feet held their place. Her back ached severely, unnatural bending of the spine forced upon her. Laughter vibrated through his chest, sounding ten times louder then normal with her ear pressed against the bared skin.

Struggling to regain the ability to move, she twisted her head to look up at him. He grinned down at her devilishly, and for a moment she saw a glimpse of triumph in his eyes.

"Wh-wha…what…"

"You told me…" his voice hummed, making her entire body tingle. "That if I felt I could hold you down, then I could try and do so…right?"

The woman tried to speak again, but her words came out as a few incoherent gasps as the phantom hand around her body squeezed tight. Roan eyes widened as realization came to her mind too late.

His Ka! She mentally shrilled with desperation, as though the answer might save her. He's pinning me down with his Ka!

The heaviness in the air when she had entered the room, the difficulty of her footfalls, the extreme uneasiness she had felt- he had been waiting for her to get close enough to command his Ka to trap her, and she had been deaf to her own instinct's cries.

Attempting to move, her body wriggled in the invisible creature's grip.

"It wasn't very clever of you to say that" he continued on. "But then, is sounds like you have a lot troubling you. I'm sure you just weren't thinking properly. Or maybe…"

She stopped her struggles as a hand coiled into her hair, Bakura's grip proving to be a fair deal stronger then that last time she had felt it as he pulled on the ginger tresses. Tugging her face closer to his own, he looked into her eyes with a knowing gaze.

"Maybe you want me to kill you? Since as we both know, you don't like the idea of being hurt by a human, so if it's me that's okay, right?" he pulled harder. "Since I'm not _human_"

She shut her eyes, contact with the thief's too much to bear.

"I'd like to ask you a question, woman" he proposed, laughing slightly as he did so. "And I'd like you to be as honest as possible when you answer me, alright?" he paused only for a moment for her to consider. "Are you scared of me?"

Straining her breath, the woman mustered up a single word.

The answer caused a sharp pain to spark through the back of her head as he jerked hard on her hair, and she yelped as his Ka encased her tighter.

"Don't lie" he ordered, looking irritated through his smirk. "No one likes a liar"

Almost trembling she shook her head, stiffening as the action made the strands of hair laced around his fingers tug at her scalp. "No," she repeated her answer without hesitance, eyes flicking open. "I'm not scared of you, Bakura"

The thief king eyed her curiously. Perhaps it was because of the usage of his name that he loosened his hold on her, allowing her to continue speaking, though her words were said in tight, raspy tones that showed she was still in pain.

"It isn't true when you say you aren't human, because otherwise you wouldn't want me to be scared of you. Only humans want judgment from others. I'm not scared of you, but…" she breathed. "But, there is a monster within your heart. That is what scares me"

For once, she saw something other then amusement or threats in his sharp grey eyes.

Staring down at her with a look of chagrin his hand lost its strength and slid out of her hair, resting at the nape of her neck. She gasped silently when the creature restricting her became evanescent, her body falling against his completely as her knees sank to the floor.

They stayed like this for several seconds, both motionless.

"Bastet?"

At hearing her name Bastet jerked her head to the side, finally breaking eye contact with Bakura in the process.

Her roan eyes widened in dazed horror when she saw Mai standing in the doorway, staring at the two of them with an expression that said many things, none of which were good.

* * *

A lovely cliff-hanger for you all.

So far I've only had two reviews, but they were good and one person put it on their favorites list, so if just one person enjoys it that much then that's good enough. I'm happy there hasn't been negative feedback, at least. Both reviewers had nice things to say about my OC, whose name was finally revealed to be Bastet.

Now I can widen my description vocabulary a bit more.

I'm overly happy with how the chapter worked out, emotion wise and event wise, and it seems there are no flaws I can think of that will ruin any of the upcoming storyline. Speaking of the upcoming storyline, by the end of DMW the rating will go up to M, so if you're someone who just waits for a story to pop up on the default page of a section that only shows things in the PG-T zone, you won't find it anymore. Just be prepared!

A n d i f y o u a r e u n d e r e i g h t e e n t h e n I a d v i s e y o u t o t u r n a w a y n o w a s t h e r e i s l a r g e a m o u n t s o f p a r t i a l l y g r a p h i c s e x u a l c o n t e n t t h a t i s i l l e g a l f o r y o u t o v e i w . H o w e v e r w e a l l k n o w t h a t o n l y s i s s y s p a y a t t e n t i o n t o t h o s e s i l l y l i t t l e l a w s a n d i f y o u r a r e a l f a n o f t h e s t o r y o r a r e j u s t r e a d i n g t h i s f o r t h e s e x t h e n b y a l l m e a n s c o n t i n u e w i t h t h e r e a d i n g !I w i l l n o t d i s s a p o i n t y o u !

Thanks to those who did review, and thanks to those members who added DMW to their alert list or favorites list. Your interest makes me smile.


	4. Burn Like Fire

Chapter Four  
—_Burn Like Fire_—

Bastet found herself only able to stare at the figure in her doorway with a stricken expression, frozen to where she knelt on the floor. The warmth of Bakura's hand on her neck was unbearable, sweat building on her skin despite the icy feeling in her nerves.

"I…I came to deliver something…because I was asked by Seto, but…what…" Mai took one small step backwards. "What _is_ this?"

The ability to speak seemed so far away. Throat like sandpaper, the redhead opened her mouth, trying to grasp a word, anything. "T…this-"

"He's the one you've been treating this whole time? That thief?!" the blonde sounded shaken. "You're housing a criminal! This-" she pointed at the scene. "This is like _treason!_"

"Mai-" legs wobbling, Bastet got to her feet. "R…remember what I said earlier today?"

The blonde narrowed her eyes. "The supposedly _hypothetical_ response to my question?" she asked disbelievingly. "You aren't going to say that the situation is actually _like that_ are you? Because that's completely ridiculous! For one, there's _no way_ you'd be stupid enough to do something to almost kill another person, and for another, I know _he_ wouldn't let anyone come _close_ to killing him!"

The snake tamer only stared at her.

"Is that actually what happened?" Mai groaned, putting a hand over her face when Bastet nodded. "_Bastet!_ How on earth did this happen? And why him! You should have let him die, or stabbed him with a knife to make _sure_ he was dead!"

"I wouldn't ever take someone's life, Mai" the redhead murmured, finally feeling the tension in the room unwind. "I accidentally let out some of my snakes and one of them bit Bakura, who I assume was passing by. I didn't want someone to die like that…please understand"

"So you just patched him up then? Let a murderer sleep under the same roof as you?"

"He…he's almost better…"

"Almost better!" Mai cried, throwing her hands in the air. "So him being _almost better_ is supposed to help? And when he's made a nice recovery you'll send him on his way to go kill the pharaoh?!"

Bastet lowered her head, searching the floor for an answer. Angry and growling, Mai left without waiting for her to find it, her wavy blonde hair whipping through the air erratically as she did so.

A long silence settled into the room. Bakura shifted in his bed, lying down again and facing away from the woman that stood in the doorway's light. Slowly she moved towards it, relenting to the soundlessness.

* * *

The snake she had chosen did not welcome her presence that morning. It hissed and snapped at her arm violently as she attempted a mixing, the serpent's teeth making her feel almost as sore as she felt within. Grudgingly she gripped at the base of its head, squeezing tight as wriggled, unable to defend itself or run from her.

"That's what you get" she grumbled, throwing it off into the bushes with a flick of her wrist. Fearfully it slithered away, seeking refuge in the many plants provided for it.

Wrapping up her arm, she took note that in her anger she hadn't given the snake time to inject her before choking it like she had. Sighing ruefully, she glared at the snake who had ventured out from its haven of plants, tying the linen bandage with more force then was necessary.

She added no mice afterwards. Instead she fed them some rather luxurious foods, the kind one normally wouldn't give to mice meant for feeding, the woman enjoying their merry squeaks as they nibbled at the seeds and cheese provided for them.

"Good little creatures" she told them as though they could sense her worry. "You deserve to die being happy"

They pawed at the glass, eager for more food.

"I don't have anything left" she explained to them. "I'll get some later"

The ginger haired female couldn't decide why she had spoiled the mice like that, and finally came to the conclusion that she had meant to spoil herself rather then the furry animals.

The words Mai had thrown at her and hurt on varying levels, mostly because she was _right_.

What Bastet had done was strange and unlike her and inexcusable. Treason, she heard the blonde shout at her from memory. This is like treason.

Sighing heavily, the redhead snatched a cutely squeaking mouse up from where it crouched and placed it in the snakes' cage, leaving as the well fed animal scurried about the new area to meet its death.

* * *

It was on the street they met again, the blonde woman staring at her with something akin to distain, but Bastet noticed that behind that was concern.

"You might as well come to my house for a minute," Mai huffed, her anger having not lasted as long as she had intended. "So I can give you that thing Seto asked me to deliver"

"Seto asked you to deliver something to me?" the redhead let her interest in the woman's words pull them away from the topic of Bakura. "When was this?"

"He came up to me when I went to drop off those medicines you made. Apparently you weren't listening yesterday evening when I interrupted your…enjoyment of that thief's company"

"Mai!" she hissed, suddenly feeling alert of the people around them. "It was nothing of the sort! He almost _killed_ me before you walked in!"

"Well, what was _I _supposed to think?" the lavender eyed woman scoffed, waiting for the ginger haired woman to follow inside her home before continuing. "You slumped against him, breathing hard as he cradled your head…was he naked?"

"You make it sound as though I was _panting_…"

"He was _naked_, wasn't he?" the other woman enforced.

Bastet almost groaned. Mai seemed to have forgiven her, but teasing words from her were just as unwanted. "Yes," she sighed. "He was naked"

"Hmm, I thought so" was Mai's only response.

No playful joke? Bastet thought, confused by the blonde's lack of effort in retorting.

Mai wandered towards a small table near the window, the redhead following behind, intrigued. The blonde's hands touched an object that glinted gold as the mid-day sunlight leaked through the opening in the wall. The reflection of light in her roan eyes made the medicine maker wince, blinking rapidly to remove the spots in her eyes.

"You might have picked a bad time to start enjoying yourself as a woman, darling" the lavender eyed female told her. She smiled a teasing smile but her tone of voice bordered on regretful.

Wordlessly she held up something where Bastet could see it, a gold pendent swinging lightly on the string coiled in her fingers. The amulet was of a cat, with a single kitten curled up against it. It hovered in front of the snake tamer's face, which was slowly drifting from confusion to utter shock.

"Seto told me to give it to you as quickly as possible" Mai explained, continuing to hold the necklace until Bastet lifted her hands up, taking hold of it with stiff fingers. "With the new pharaoh being announced and these recent attacks on the palace, the priests agreed it would be a good idea"

The redhead didn't respond, her roan eyes locked on the gold figures in her grasp.

"Bastet? Are you alright?" Mai leaned down to peek at the other woman's face, which still had a stricken look painted on it. "Come now, it isn't that bad, is it? He's attractive, and you're old enough…" her words not reaching the snake tamer, Mai nudged her chin lightly, making the ginger haired female look upwards. "You should be happy, Bastet. This is something to take pride in"

With eyes that showed feelings the complete opposite of what Mai had suggested, Bastet smiled brightly, clasping the amulet in both hands so hard she hoped it would be crushed.

* * *

He was walking around on his own now, which was something that should have had her alarmed. He paced through the tiny bits of halls her house had, flexing his arms and hands as he did so.

"Why does everything still feel so weak?" he growled at her, attempting to slam his hands on the table as she took a seat in the kitchen, warm tea spilling onto the wooden surface. The amulet Mai had given her rattled from the light force of his hands, the animal figures almost appearing to shiver from his presence.

"You've been lying in bed for days" Bastet explained simply to the thief, her mind feeling absent as she looked at the amulet with clouded eyes. "Of course your muscles are weak"

"_That_ is why I was so persistent in _moving_…" Bakura started to pace again.

The ginger haired woman got up for where she sat, giving the necklace another glance. Tearing her eyes away from it she moved to fetch a cloth to clean up her spilt drink. "Where did all that power of yours go?"

The second the words left her mouth, she realized it was a mistake. Instantly he whirled around to face her, his smirking expression making her freeze in place.

"You're curious?" he asked with a devious smile. "You know what they say about curiosity. So fitting, that name of yours is!" the man let out a series of low chuckles, shaking his head at her as his feet continued their pacing. "The strength of my Ka has little to do with my physical health" he decided to indulge her. "My mind was hazy at first but now that it has cleared, I could easily summon Diabound and kill everyone in this little village"

"Then why don't you?"

He's right, you know, Bastet chided herself. Your curiosity is dangerous.

"I don't _want_ to kill everyone" the thief explained, turning to her once more and leaning against the wall. "I do give people a chance to run away, after all- I'm not as merciless as you might assume"

The redhead looked at him expectantly, her unsafe yearning to hear more written clear on the woman's face. He leaned down some, making her roan eyes level with his own.

"There's only one person's life I wish to take. I'll kill anyone who stands in the way of that. You as well, woman, if you continue to hold me here"

Bastet almost shuddered as she felt the grazing of ghostly claws across her skin.

"You aren't a prisoner in my home" she voiced quietly, the rag in her hands forgotten as tea started to drip from the table to the floor below. "You may do whatever you wish"

"Really?" he sounded faintly pleased with this statement. Pushing off the wall to walk towards her, the thief looked menacing even with a slight limp. "Whatever I wish?"

His sharp eyes raked over her body at a slow pace, and she nearly whimpered at the thought that the gaze might actually cut into her. Against her own will she stepped backwards, her hand tightening on the cloth it held.

"You want to flee from me?" he inquired as he watched her feet try and put distance between them. "What happened to you not being scared of me?"

"I'm not scared" the woman murmured, she herself uncertain at this point if what she said was a lie or not. She tried to keep herself still as he moved closer still. Heart pounding, the snake tamer searched herself desperately to name what had her stepping away from him.

"Are you positive about that? You're trembling"

Reaching outwards, his calloused fingertips brushed against her arm. The answer she had been looking for surfaced in her mind, and without warning a splash of dizzying heat ran through her veins.

"I'm not _scared_" she assured both the man and herself, though the words made her feel sick. It wasn't _fear_ that was making her tremble as he neared her. No, it was something entirely different and almost foreign to her senses.

I want this, she realized, her feet pausing in their motions. I want to be cornered. Trapped and unable to run away, because surrendering of my own free will would be unacceptable. Vaguely, the woman felt his outstretched hand curl around her wrist, and she almost stepped closer instead of having him pull her forward. I want him to force me into whatever he pleases, be it death or anything else.

Or maybe she just wanted _him_.

Cold tea soaked into a string sitting on the table, the soft brown mixture ready to tarnish the fine gold creatures it was tied to. In contrast to the chilled liquid that flooded over the amulet, Bakura's mouth was burning hot. The intensity of it made her nerves become raw and useless, unable to feel anything other then him kissing her.

She tore away with blind senses, the woman's hands grasping at the necklace on her table. The metal pendent under her fingers was cold and unwelcome as her feet carried her away from the thief whose laughter rung loud in her ears long after she had disappeared from sight.

* * *

Well, this chapter just made me happy in all sorts of ways.

This story's popularity has grown a tad, which makes me very happy. Having more reviews then story chapters is always a good thing. Everyone seems pleased with what's been written so far, so I hope this doesn't disappoint you, either.

Writing the very beginning of this chapter was a bit difficult, I must admit, because I don't like writing angry Mai and Bastet is all awkward when trying to talk with angry Mai. So, I was glad she cooled down quickly.

Now for a bit of EDUCATION!! School is over but learning NEVER ends! For those of you who don't know, Bastet is the name of an Egyptian cat goddess. At one point in history, Bastet was portrayed as a good mother, since cats are usually tender and protective towards their offspring. Consequently, women who wanted to have children would wear amulets with a representation of Bastet with a varying number of kittens on it which would represent the amount of children they wished for.

So, if you've all been carefully remembering the hints I've given out, then you'll understand why Bastet (the OC) was so upset upon receiving on of these amulets from Seto via Mai.

Thank you all for your lovely feedback, I hope to hear from you again along with warmly welcomed new readers as well!


	5. Engagement of Words

Chapter Five  
—_Engagement of Words_—

She couldn't quite remember how long she had been running, too distracted by the lingering sensation of Bakura's lips on her own for the woman to tell the difference between minutes and hours. The sun had set at some point, her copper skin fading to a soft brown with the change of light. The question of where exactly her feet were leading her came to mind, but they did not answer, only pulling her onwards through a mix of cooling sand and emptying streets.

Eyes looking no where and legs burning, Bastet ran head on into something stiff and unmovable, sending her crashing to the ground. She let out a faint cry of surprise, the amulet grasped reluctantly in her fingers slipping away to skid across the sand.

"Are you alright?" said a voice, several moments after she had scrambled to retrieve the necklace.

"Y-yes, I- my apologies!" she stammered, pressing her forehead to the ground in a bow after looking up at her questioner. "I am gravely sorry…p-please forgive this impudent peasant…" she squeezed her eyes shut, preparing for punishment.

The man whom she recognized as the new pharaoh knelt down slightly, placing a warm and surprisingly gentle hand on her shoulder. "No…" he requested, discomfort in his voice. "Please, don't do that. Stand up, miss. You have fallen due to my carelessness; there is no reason to bow your head to the sands"

"T-that is…I was not looking at where my feet carried me, pharaoh" she explained, hoping he would not see her words as back-talk. "I am the one at fault"

He laughed, surprising her. It was unlike Mai's coy, teasing laughter or Bakura's inanity ridden chuckles. It was a very warm laugh, unwinding the tension that had been spun around her for what felt like years. His hand moved from her shoulder to in front of her face, offering to pull her up.

"We are arguing over a strange thing, don't you agree?" he said with a smile. "Come, to your feet"

"N-no, I hadn't meant to…argue …" his hand hovering by her nose, and Bastet allowed herself to take hold of it. She was surprised again by how carefully he pulled her upwards, his hold strong but delicate. "My apologies, pharaoh" she offered again, her hands clutching at the amulet weakly once he had released her.

"There is no need for apologies, at least not from you" he spoke while shaking his head, turning his violet eyes to the sky soon afterwards. "It may be true that you had ran into me, but the streets are bare…I could have avoided you with ease. I did not do so, however…"

His voice sounded distant and uneasy, and it made the snake tamer wish he would return his gaze to her in hopes that she could read his expression. "Pharaoh?" she questioned, watching carefully as a sand filled wind stirred through the air. The breeze cleared the unique colored tresses from his expression, and for just a moment Bastet saw a look of distress playing across his face.

The winds died down and the young pharaoh looked back to the woman, hesitantly putting on another smile.

"I was…lost in thought when you came running. So distracted by them that I did not notice another person nearing me…" he looked away again, so oddly hesitant that she could not imagine such a humble boy to be pharaoh. But here he was in front of her, so Bastet could say no such words.

Atem looked to her again, his expression hopeful beneath the uncertainty and faint bits of worry. "I…it would be tedious but…would you…listen?"

She looked at him with roan eyes that didn't know what sort of emotion to present to him. "P…pardon?"

"I do not wish to trouble Mahado and Mana with my worries, and I do not feel they could understand what I spoke of…but, if it were with a stranger such as you, I feel I might somehow be more at ease"

He wants to confide in me of his troubles? She thought hazily, the energy used to run through the streets so unendingly had finally disappeared, and her body felt heavy as weariness swamped it. The pharaoh?

Bastet nodded unthinkingly, which seemed to have brightened his mood slightly, the pharaoh's smile becoming less hesitant and more appreciative.

"Then…" he looked around for a minute, as though just thinking of something. "Standing in the street will not do. Let us head to the palace- it will be too cold for strolling before long"

"Ah…yes, pharaoh…"

What was she supposed to say? There was nothing to say. Was there any reason for her to protest in the first place? She didn't want to return home.

Not before she decided where her feet would take her in the end.

* * *

The walk to the palace grounds had been very quiet, neither of them speaking to one another until the came to the gates of the palace itself. Then he motioned for her to follow him in a direction that, as far as Bastet had been informed, did not lead to any entrance of sorts.

"Where…?" she started, confused.

"This is…I'll have to confess, I had been…_strongly_ advised by the priests to stay within palace grounds, so to prevent them from worrying I snuck out using a secret passage"

Bastet realized her face must have been displaying a very incredulous expression because he quickly hid a snicker behind a hand. "I did quite a lot of adventuring while I was a child" the pharaoh told her, but in her mind she saw him as still very much a child, only fifteen. "Only a few of my closest friends- accept for Mahado and Mana, for obvious reasons- know of this place. May I trust you to keep it secret?"

"Y-yes, pharaoh, I swear…" she stuttered, resisting the urge to bow to him when he gave her a look of faint disappointment. Silently Bastet fumbled for words to correct herself, but he started walking again before she had gathered them all, pushing aside a few overgrown bushes to reveal the secret entrance he spoke of.

It was a tight space to fit through, for him and herself even more so considering their difference in height. She imagined it was quite an easy task to slip through the hole when he was younger, but now it surely provided difficulties.

They moved through the passage and were quickly within the palace walls, a few servants walking by who seemed to go without noticing them. Perhaps Atem had requested of them that they disregard his odd ways of leaving and entering the palace, but she could only assume this as he walked through the area briskly, leaving her no time to ask questions as she followed after.

While walking down a brightly lit hallway, another figure rounded the corner from the opposite end, her golden headwear shining softly in the light as her orchid colored eyes stared at them in surprise.

"Pharaoh?" Isis voiced in question, stopping in the hall as the pair nearing her did the same. "What might be the reason for walking the halls so late?"

"I was merely enjoying the company of a guest" he motioned to Bastet, whose presence Isis had ignored in favor of the pharaoh's.

"Good evening, priestess" Bastet murmured as steadily as possible, giving the other woman a light bow of the head to show respect.

"Bastet, good evening to you as well" the priestess offered in turn, though she looked puzzled. "Are you here to see Seto?"

"Ah, n-no…" she hadn't meant to stutter.

Isis' brow furrowed slightly, and the redhead couldn't tell if it was from discontent or concern. "This saves me the trouble of sending a messenger to you. Seto requests your presence tomorrow evening. Since that is the time at which he is least bothered by his duties, he felt it would be ideal. Is this alright with you, or do you have prearrangements elsewhere?"

The amulet in Bastet's hands suddenly burned to touch, and she bit her tongue to keep from crying out and flinging it to the ground. "There are no prearrangements. That is fine" she replied woodenly, her lips wanting to tremble.

"I see. I shall inform Seto of your compliance"

The orchid eyed woman tilted her head down ever so slightly, peering at the amulet in Bastet's hands with veiled eyes. For just a faint moment, the Millennium Torque around her neck seemed to glimmer with its own light, and Bastet's fingers wound around the golden creatures even tighter, covering them from Isis' physical sight.

The priestess looked upwards again, her eyes unreadable to the medicine maker before her.

"Bastet," she voiced, her tone as undistinguishable as her eyes. "You will not be swallowed by unhappiness in performing your duties, as you so believe. Let these words put you at ease"

Bastet looked back at her in bewilderment, yet words to question what the black haired woman had said could not be uttered, as her presence was swiftly put aside once more.

"Pharaoh, I am glad to know you're restless wandering of the halls is not the consequence of grieving for the late ruler. You seem to be adjusting well to your new position, as everyone had faith you would"

"Yes," he thanked her, though strings of hesitance were still tight in his throat. "I appreciate the support I have been given by you all"

"It is only proper of us to do so, pharaoh" she told him whilst bowing. He nodded at her actions weakly, Isis rising to her feet once more. "Then, I shall retire for the night"

She departed from them, striding down the hall with her linen dress flowing behind her lightly.

"This way miss-" he paused suddenly, looking at the ginger haired woman curiously. "Oh…your name. Isis called you Bastet, did she not? How are you acquainted with each other?"

"Yes, pharaoh" she answered immediately. "I believe this has been the first time you and I have ever met. I serve as the palace's apothecary- I often meet with the priests to deliver medicines"

"I see!" he smiled at the new knowledge, looking ever more like a boy rather then a man. "Mana had fallen ill not too long ago…so it was your medicines that helped her recover. I thank you"

Bastet nodded, though words denying his thanks were on her tongue. They entered a room that looked extremely elaborate, with many golden ornaments and expensive silk weavings to decorate it.

"Please, sit" he requested, motioning to one of the many varnished wooden chairs lined against a far wall.

Feet moving her body to sit quickly and obediently, Bastet shifted her skirt so it wouldn't crease under her legs. The pharaoh took a seat as well, beside her rather then on the clean, comfortable, _expensive_ sheets of his bed like one of his class should be expected to do.

"Thank you" he said for the umpteenth time, making the snake tamer wonder how a ruler could be so humble. "I truly appreciate you coming all this way to listen so something so trivial…"

"It is something that bothers you, pharaoh" she voiced reassuringly. "So it couldn't possibly be trivial"

He just stared at her for a moment, looking rather apologetic, before turning his head away. A long silence drifted through the room, until the pharaoh lifted a jewel covered hand and ran it through his hair carefully, as though he was searching his head for words.

"It's…strange" he began, the tips of awkward laughter in his voice. "After dragging you all the way here in hopes of having you listen to my troubles I…can't seem to say what is on my mind…"

Another blanket of silence covered them, and Bastet absently chewed her lip, a memory from earlier that day surfacing in her mind.

"_You should be happy, Bastet"_ was what Mai had told her.

"_This is something to take pride in"_

At that time, the redhead thought feebly, I couldn't agree or disagree with what she was saying to me. I just smiled at her while feeling distraught. Forming words in my head to describe exactly what was bothering me…felt too difficult. It was too much of a strain to work through the worries I held inside…

Those worries…

She pressed an amulet filled hand to her chest, the still cold metal preventing her from feeling the warmth her fingers may have had.

…Are still here…

"Thoughts and feelings are…defiantly hard to put into words" she agreed finally, her roan eyes pretending to stare at a beautiful tapestry on the wall across from them. "But, if you take your time and untangle the web restricting those things, then the ability to speak will come quickly afterwards. So, please do not rush yourself, pharaoh. Be patient and find your words. I, too, will be patient"

"Thank you" he told her again quietly, running a hand through his hair once more before settling both palms on his knees. "My father," he said after several minutes. "Did you know him?"

"I had only seen his face" she replied, eyes still focused on the tapestry in front of her. "Never had I exchanged words with him"

"I grew up having a close relationship with my father, even though he was troubled with duties as the pharaoh" the boy seemed to speak regardless of what Bastet's reply would be. "I saw him as a great man, a very respectable ruler, and a wonderful father"

He paused, and the woman looked to him, waiting.

"I wanted to be those things as well," he continued, his head low. "But father passed away so suddenly, and I feel as though the duties he was troubled with were handed to me too soon. I…do not feel prepared. I am not truly a man yet, and I have done nothing to earn respect as a ruler. I have not even a wife to bear children…" he sighed shakily. "I have the title of pharaoh, but no qualities to be suited to such a name. My heart tells me that I do not belong where my body is now"

He blinked rapidly, hiding moistness in his eyes by lowering his head farther, though he could not mask the quiver in his voice.

"I am…afraid of this new and unfamiliar life. My closest friends feel distant now. They always refer to me as 'pharaoh', never treating me as their equal…I do not know how to return things to what I know as normal. I am afraid of being anything more then 'Atem', but at the same time I wish to meet the expectations left by my father…"

Like a sudden flicker in the back of her mind, Bastet came to an understanding with why he acted in a way she found strange for royalty. His gentle easing for her to speak to him as she would anyone else was an attempt to return to the past, when those close to him treated him like a friend and not their ruler. But being both Atem and pharaoh proved to be a difficult task, and so…

"You feel conflicted?" the snake tamer felt it was alright to speak, the boy having fallen silent once more. "I think I understand. I am not Isis, and have no Millennium Item, but…your connection to others as the growing boy named Atem, and the goal you had set for yourself to be a pharaoh equal to your father, which seems unattained now…you don't know which you want more?"

Slowly, uneasily and with extreme hesitance, Atem nodded, his hands clenching into fists at his knees.

"It is greedy for me to want both scenarios" he said to himself more then his listener. "I should choose only one, but…it is as you say. I do not know which I want more"

"If I were you, pharaoh…I would have both"

The red and gold haired youth looked at her, confusion in his pink rimmed eyes.

"Even though it is a bit greedy, you're the pharaoh…" she smiled at him, feeling whimsical. "You can have, rather literally, whatever you like"

He continued to stare, the thought clearly passing through his mind as guilt quickly followed after. "But, that would be-"

"A ridiculous demand, yes…but perfectly normal"

Neither of them spoke as he contemplated the words.

"Would it…truly be acceptable in the eyes of others?"

"It would be a strange request to them" Bastet laughed, not sure if the smile she wore was fake or not anymore. "I suppose it would take time getting used to. But surely your friends miss it as well…being able to treat you warmly…"

He nodded, a small smile free of hesitance gracing his lips. "For listening, Bastet…you have my thanks…" his violet eyes drifted from her face to her chest, where a golden amulet was held. "With my story over, what is it that bothers you?"

"I…" she swallowed something in her throat, her grip on the cat figures tightening. "I have no troubles worth speaking of, pharaoh"

"You say that, but when we first met, you were tearing through the sands. No one would run with such desperation unless it was to distance themselves from something, be it physical or otherwise"

Bastet bit her lip. This was more like a ruler, she thought. Ever so perceptive.

"That amulet you hold," he started to ask the question she had hoped he would not. "It is something one wears, and yet, it does not rest on your neck. Why is this so?"

"I do not…feel prepared to wear it yet" she answered slowly.

"…Is it an unwanted marriage?" he asked with uncertainty.

"Oh, no…" she shook her ginger colored head. "Nothing like that"

"Then…what is troubling about it? Surely, your husband would understand if you told-"

"I don't have a husband" she cut him off, forgetting herself for a moment to get the words out of her mouth. "Pharaoh…do you know what my duties are as the palace's medicine maker?"

"That is…to make medicine?" the boy answered, looking a bit sheepish.

Bastet smiled weakly. "That is one of them, yes. Certain medicines I make, those used as antidotes for snake bites, are produced in a very special way. Do you know how it is done?"

He shook his head immediately.

"I have the snakes bite me, and with the anti-bodies produced inside of me and various herbs, I can make the antidotes for others"

"You_ let_ them bite you?" he looked startled. "Isn't that dangerous? What if your body can't fight the poison off?"

Bastet smiled ruefully. "That is where my second duty comes into play. You see, medicine makers must always be female. That is because while the woman is pregnant, she continues her work, and the antibodies produced are shared with the child- I was born with the immunity to snake venom"

"So…" he paused in his speech momentarily. "Your second duty is to produce an heir to carry on your work?"

"Correct. Because of my dangerous and valued purpose, it is very important that I have a strong, healthy child…" she took a small breath of air. "I do not choose who beds me, to ensure this"

His brow was furrowed, concerned in what he was hearing. Something must have clicked in his mind, for then he suddenly looked more informed. "Seto," the young pharaoh realized. "What Isis spoke of earlier- you are to produce an heir with Seto"

The ginger hair woman didn't respond, merely looking over at the tapestry on the wall once more.

Atem smile at her reassuringly, looking like a child who was trying to somehow calm a fretful adult. "Seto is a good man" he told her.

"I know" she sighed, her heart feeling heavy.

* * *

Now, I can explain myself. I was typing away merrily one night, everything running smoothly. I left my computer for a few minutes, and then the power went out. My dad started the generator and I turned my computer back on, and I was happy to see my file had been automatically save. My writing escapade continued, until my dad came back some time later and disconnected the generator. Without letting me know. So what I had written post-power outage was lost. I was almost done when he did that, too! So then I had to go through the grueling task of re-writing the end! And I'm sure as many can understand, the second time around it just ISN'T the same, and there's almost no way to feel awesome about what you've produced, as apposed to what COULD have been there, if only your dad had told you he was disconnecting the generator to give you time to save!

This chapter also isn't as awesome as its predecessors because there wasn't a single bit of Bakura in it. Yeah, I think that really took away from the quality, right there. But the good news is, this chapter is sufficiently longer then the others, so be HAPPY for at least that!

Now, onto important things!

This story takes place in the 'actual past', meaning it isn't a game, it's really them at that time. In the show whenever Atem got bits of his memory back, he always seemed like a real crybaby. A real pansy, if I can say that. Much different from the Yami-Yugi we know! So, I figured that in the real past, Atem was something more like Yugi, and developed his Yami personality further down the line. Even Mana, during the memory game, said, "are you really the prince?", which shows that with his Yami personality, he wasn't acting how he normally would.

So he's a kid who's just become the pharaoh, his dad just died, so on so forth. I think it's acceptable for him to be a bit emotional.

NOT sure when I'll update again, but hopefully not too far down the road.


	6. Taste the Poison

Chapter Six  
—_Taste the Poison_—

The sun was just starting to peek through the morning clouds when she threw the thief's belongings onto his bear stomach, the jewelry scattering about while the heavy layers of cloth fell with a muffled thud against him.

Bakura woke instantly, his grey eyes glaring at the items strewn on the bedding as he sat himself up. It wasn't long before he moved his gaze up to where Bastet stood, his narrowed eyes accompanied with a smirk.

"That's a rather rude way to wake a man" he told her, teeth showing behind his curved lips. "You're not going to crawl into bed and caress me like last time?"

"These are your things" the redhead told him quietly, ignoring his words. "You can leave whenever you wish"

The thief king dropped his smirk at her words, but the underlying expression of amusement didn't fade.

The woman's roan eyes trailed over bronze skin, her gaze veiled by thick lashes. Breathing faintly, Bastet silently admired the man's bare flesh as the growing sunlight crawled across it. Her actions couldn't go unnoticed by his watchful steel eyes.

"You like…" Bakura propped his head up with a hand as his elbow pressed into the mattress. "Looking at me, don't you?"

Her eyelids flickered slightly, the redhead's vision refocusing.

"…Yes"

"Do you plan on doing anything about it?" he wanted to know, shrugging himself into the robes she had thrown at him. Picking up several scattered rings and slipping them onto his fingers, Bakura flexed the hand, muscles tightening. "Or is getting me to leave a way to keep yourself from becoming distracted?"

"Whether it is or not," she murmured, stepping aside as he got up from the bed and moved to walk past her. "I have a duty to fulfill"

The thief stopped walking and looked down at her, eyes blinking at the gold glimmering on her chest. The amulet strung around the woman's copper skinned neck looked out of place and unsuited for her slender form. Briefly he reached for it, a thumb brushing against the cold metallic surface before letting his hand roam elsewhere, callused fingers tracing over her bare collarbone and lacing into the strands of ginger hair on her head, tugging the woman closer.

She shouldn't have been letting him kiss her. All he had a hold of was her hair- she should have pulled away, even if it meant loosing a few strands.

Instead Bastet found herself sinking into him, whatever sort of feelings that had kept her rational falling from her body and taking the woman's strength with them. Bakura's hand was gripping her hair tightly. It hurt just a little, the strained skin beneath her ginger tresses throbbing. Despite his rough grip, the thief's mouth was pressed against hers much more gently. Not light or brushing- he captured her lips completely and firmly, but the weight of the kiss stood far from bruising.

She couldn't recall how the first kiss had been- she had been too caught up with knowing that he was kissing her and didn't pay attention to _how_ he was kissing her. It had been hot, though- burning away any other sensations. This time around was no different, and Bastet could only vaguely feel the man's hand tighten in her hair as his other slid over her hip.

As the woman wondered if she was kissing back or not, she realized her eyes had closed at some point.

Finally the snake tamer did as she should have done at the very beginning and pulled away, a few pieces of hair snapping from her scalp painfully as she jerked backwards in the midst of a gasp. Her hands flew up and pressed against Bakura's chest, hoping to hold him at a distance while knowing full well that the man could push her arms away and continue easily enough.

"I have to…" Bastet breathed, feeling mindless. "…Go do work"

Her eyes were still closed, the redhead noticed. She opened them slowly, her vision focused on the amulet lying above her chest. Bakura grabbed at the cat figures suddenly, pulling the amulet tight. The string bit into her neck and the woman moved forward, pressing against him again to try and keep the stinging sensation at bay. It only made him pull harder, though. Bastet stood on her toes, holding her breath.

"Is this the sort of work you'll be doing?" the thief inquired, giving the gold in his grasp a meaningful tug.

What was the tone in his voice now- amusement? Frustration? Curiosity? There was no tone, she found. Anything to be heard was formed from her own imagination. The nonsensical laughter that followed his words confirmed this.

"No," she heard herself tell him, the question he had asked almost slipping from memory. "That's later"

"Oh, is that so?" the string against her neck became even tighter, and she feared it may snap- ether that or cut through her skin. "So what happens after that?"

He was too close to let her think properly. All she could see was his bronze skin, her face pressed into the man's shoulder. Bakura seemed to fill her senses to the brim with searing, spicy heat- his scent. If she were to run her tongue over his flesh at that moment, Bastet was certain it would burn her like his kisses did.

"I come home" Bastet didn't know what she was saying at that point. Picking words from her head and getting her tongue to move without grazing his skin was all she could do. "And think about crying. I'll only think about it, though, because actually doing so would be wrong of me. Even thinking about it is…"

She trailed off, the thief breathing heatedly against her aching neck.

The cord digging into Bastet's skin suddenly loosened, Bakura releasing the amulet from his grasp. It fell onto to her as an unwelcome weight.

Her circulation must have been cut off from the now removed pressure on her neck, because a wave of dizziness rushed up into the woman's head, blood hammering through her veins. The redhead's vision blurred momentarily and she sunk to the floor, waiting for the sensations to quell.

Bakura stepped back, wearing the same narrow eyed smirk he normally did. This time, however, her unfocused roan eyes didn't see any sort of emotion in the expression.

The thief king left in a small fit of laughter.

* * *

"Usually _I'm_ the one who sits around and does nothing" Mai huffed while uprooting herbs and tossing them into her basket. "But you're useless today"

"I'm working" Bastet muttered, pulling up a plant slowly.

"_Barely_" the blonde scoffed, adding another plant to her basket while looking at Bastet's, seeing that it was almost barren. A frown made its way across her face. "How many is that? Four?"

"Five including this one" the redhead said while holding up a newly retrieved herb and shaking the dirt from its roots. The golden amulet around her neck glinted in the sunlight. "How much longer do I have to do this?"

Mai's frown grew deeper. "Bastet…I can understand that you're a bit nervous for tonight, but it isn't a good enough reason to neglect your work. If the fully-grown plants are left in the sun for too long they'll wilt and loose potency. You told me this yourself, so I know I'm right"

"I'm not nervous"

"Sure you aren't, darling" Mai said back with a flutter of her eyelids.

Bastet shrugged to herself. "I just thought it would be fun to make you do all the work, since it's usually the other way around"

"Wha-" her lavender eyes grew wide as a scandalized expression crossed Mai's face. "Here I am worrying about you, and that's all it was! I thought you were honestly scared about sleeping with Se-"

"Oh, _scared_" Bastet interrupted. "Scared…yes, I am scared. Not nervous. Of course not. But I am a bit scared"

The sandy haired woman crossed her arms and looked away. "It's too late for a heart-to-heart!"

"I wasn't looking for one"

The ginger haired woman suddenly swapped her lazy pace for something more acceptable, the healthy herbs piling inside her basket. Mai watched, her own basket forgotten as she uncrossed her arms, frowning for a different reason then disgruntlement.

"…Bastet…"

The redhead looked up, ginger colored bangs obscuring her eyes. Her mouth was in a perfectly straight line, no expression reading on her features. "What?"

Mai opened her mouth, only to forget what she wanted to say.

Slowly the sun crawled across the sky and their work was complete, the pair making their way to the snake tamer's home with full herb baskets in hand.

"…So…" the blonde attempted to speak casually. "Just a couple more hours to go"

"Don't remind me"

The words brought silence onto them, and the lavender eyes woman set the basket down on the floor inside the herb shed as Bastet did the same. A tendril of awkwardness floated around her as the blonde fought to find a way to speak to her companion.

"…Say!" Mai clapped her hands at the thought of a new subject. "What ever happened to that thief?"

"Oh…he left"

"Where to?" Mai inquired persistently, inching her way over to where Bastet was stringing up the herbs from that day.

"I don't know" the redhead muttered, her hands busy with tying a string around the plant's roots.

"He didn't say…?"

Bastet sighed heavily, finally lifting her head high enough so her roan red eyes could be seen. "Does it matter?"

* * *

"_Seto requests your presence tomorrow evening"_

Her fingers moved slowly, sliding the fine cloth over her skin, soaking in the sensation it provided. It was a beautiful garment, simple and without dye, just as intended for one of her class, but it had been finely woven and the material held her figure appealingly.

Her heart rate started to increase as her copper flesh was covered, knowing the robe's sole purpose was to be removed.

"_You are to produce an heir with Seto"_

Gold hummed against her collarbone as she attached the neck ornament to herself, holding the dress in place. Atop that was her amulet, the brown leather string it hung from interrupting the cream and gold beneath it. Finished with her task, the redhead lowered her stilled hands to her sides, leaving with weighted footsteps.

The winds outside her home were weak and let the woman carried herself faster then she had wished it would.

"_Seto is a good man"_

She shook her head venomously at the young pharaoh's words. That would never matter. The priests, himself included, had made this decision for her. Forced her. Made her unwilling. Ignored her wishes as a human being.

Bitterness swelled inside of the woman as her feet reached the palace too quickly.

The wind became harsh without warning, sliding across her body like formless ice. The cold breeze brought to mind the sensation of Bakura's kisses and the hotness of his skin, making her breathing become forced as she longed for the heat that was unfound at the doorway of the high priest's chambers.

Now more then ever, she wished that her body was her own.

Bastet lifted her hands to her neck, tightening the amulet that held it before stepping past the threshold.

* * *

Well didn't this just take _me_ forever?

I would have liked to make it longer, but there really wasn't anything left for me to write. I mean…yeah. Nothing else, really. Five pages isn't so bad! Right?!

So anyways, this is the second last chapter. As some may have noticed, I've changed this story's rating to M, which is a signal for all you under the age of eighteen or those offended by adult content (but not terribly graphic content, because this isn't AdultFanFiction or anything) to stop reading.

I would like to mention that as I write Seto, I am doing it with the thought that he loves Kisara in mind. It isn't that he hates Bastet- he just wants Kisara and not her. Their in a rather similar situation, Seto and Bastet.

I hope you eagerly await the final chapter in DMW. It will be my first finished multi-chapter story to date.

See you then!


	7. Destroy My World

Chapter Seven  
—_Destroy My World_—

"Don't make such an ugly face, Bastet"

They were the words he uttered as she entered the room, and although the woman did not know what she looked like at the moment, if her expression matched the feelings inside of her then Bastet understood that ugliness was belittling to how terrible she actually looked to him.

"I don't think I can comply with such a request, high priest" she offered in a voice that was as cold as she felt, fingertips numb. She suspected herself of glaring at him while he undressed, his face showing no emotion but his body betraying such a mask. "It appears I am far less apt at readying myself then you have been"

"It takes a great deal of effort, actually" he responded cuttingly. "The mere thought of touching you is like dousing myself in water, but I will do what is necessary to assist the pharaoh, no matter how sickening. I suggest you put such diligence into your mind as well"

_Liar_, her mind and heart hissed simultaneously. You helped decide this. Or have you forgotten?

"I shall place it in my mind, but it will not be thought of again" she murmured, her unfeeling fingers moving to her neck, unclasping the gold ornament circling her throat. It slid down her body, soft and chilling as it took the cloth attached with it, hitting the floor with a light thud and sharp ring of the golden decorations on it shivering.

Bastet stood before him bare now, nothing covering her but the amulet resting at her chest, the gold pendent feeling heavy and cold. Too quickly the space between the two was closed, the man taking a few purposeful steps towards her and grasping her arms, leading her- no, pushing her to the room's bed. Leading was a gentle action, and such comfort was unfound in his hands.

Limply she allowed herself to fall to the sheets, face turned up at him but eyes looking at nothing, forcing her vision to blur. He followed her shortly, nudging one of his knees against her leg.

"At least you're relaxed" he muttered stoically, pushing her other leg to the side with a hand. "It won't hurt as much"

But it still _hurt_, more then she'd imagined it would, and the first thing she thought of through the pain swamping her mind was how proud she was of herself that she didn't cry out. Seto moved inside of her at an unforgivable pace, and Bastet gripped the sheets beneath her tightly, breathing so low that almost no air reached her lungs. Any motion meant that she might touch him, including the rise and fall of her breasts and the trembling in her limbs. Her eyesight had become dark and hazy, for which she was glad, but even with the impaired vision she was unable to escape from reality.

When he leaned closer to her body a strong shudder passed through the woman at the thought that he might have been trying to be intimate. Their chests brushed against each other and she found that it felt _horrible_, trying hard to sink further into the bedding in order to escape the unnecessary physical contact. The priest moved closer still, his hands leaving the bed.

"I don't want this either" he hissed into her ear, the man's hands gripping her hips too tightly. "Not with _you_"

For a moment, Bastet recognized the tone in his voice as one of anguish, and felt sympathy for him with thought that he was in pain. But then _her_ pain returned to mind, and the voice that lingered in her ears no longer held emotion.

The woman's head tilted off to one side with a blank look in her eyes, the ginger hair that obscured them becoming wet. Seto doubled his efforts, nails biting into her skin and far-off chocking noises coming from his throat, mixed with the repeated utterance of a name she didn't know.

Hot blood and even hotter tears ran across her skin as Bastet shut her eyes.

* * *

The wind had become colder since she had last been outside. It lashed at her form, passing through the fine cloth over her skin as though it had never been put back on. The gold ornament which clung tight to her neck jingled in the harsh breeze, cool metal touching her. The amulet at her breast swung back and forth like a pendulum, in perfect time with her footfalls as Bastet carried herself down the empty streets of nighttime.

The iciness of the air combined with the sweat on her body made her feel bare, the woman shivering in between steps. Sand stirred up in a new rush of wind, pricking the uncovered skin of her arms.

Seto had dressed himself and left long before she had. How long had she been lying on the bed?

Forever.

Lying there, waiting for the priest's presence to fade. Waiting for his seed to soak into her core. Waiting for the pain to leave. It all seemed to take forever.

Finally, forever had passed, and the woman left Seto's quarters as silently as he himself had.

Now she arrived at home, feeling frozen and almost dirty.

Bastet sighed as she passed through the threshold, her feet moving slowly and carefully towards her destination. Cold sweat beneath her clothes was clinging to her and making her itch. The dried tears on her face felt uncomfortable and the faint grittiness between her legs was even worse. A bath was what she needed.

Wash it all away, she thought while submerging herself in warmed water.

From her toes to her neck it surrounded her, making the coldness on the woman's body ache and fade away. Inhaling softly, Bastet let her head slip beneath the water's surface.

The outside world was soundless to her like this, almost non-existent as she managed to forget about reality for a fleeting moment. Then her heart beat firmly inside of herself and things came back. Bastet may not have been able to hear things above the water, but she could hear herself all too well. The bending of joints and her twitching fingers. Thoughts prickled at the very tips of her hair, moving yet not moving, like how the water suspended her body and let it waver only lightly.

A burning in her lungs started to make itself known. They needed air. Sparks of darkish light covered the inside of her eyelids.

I can stay here, she told herself. Under the water, where there's nothing but myself. Soon I'd forget about my troubles. Any child that might want to grow inside of me would forget too. They'd forget about becoming alive and I'd forget about it and life would forget about me-

Water splashed around her as Bastet tore through the tranquil surface, gasping for breath. Coughs slipped in between the woman's shaky breaths as droplets fell from her figure, making soft tinkling noises when they touched the face of the water.

"Ah…ahah…"

The redhead smiled wearily at the water's surface, her body shaking from the sounds in her throat. More ripples formed as she dipped her hands into her reflection, cupping them together and lifting the lukewarm clarity to her face. It slid over her already wet skin, beads of water trailing down her copper cheeks.

More drops hit the bathwater as the woman began cleaning herself. With lathered hands she combed through her hair, scraping her scalp with her nails as the water gradually mixed with the soap. She continued the clawing motions until her fingers became tangled and then she threw herself back into the water, bubbles surging around her as the hazy clouds of soap and dirt floated out of the ginger strands.

As quickly as before she broke through the surface of the water, pushing her soaked hair out of her face as she breathed quietly, the cooling water lapping at her stomach. Fisting a cloth in her hand, Bastet wetted it before running it over her body. The force used was almost vicious, and there was no belief that dirt would remain as her skin tingled. The woman dropped her cloth, the sound of it hitting the bathwater being drowned out as she stood up.

Climbing out of the cold water, the redhead shivered while clinging to the side of the tub.

"I should change the water tomorrow" Bastet breathed, resting her forehead against the ledge as she squeezed her roan eyes shut.

* * *

Bastet's hair was still damp as it brushed over her ears, the woman lowering her head while placing her palms on the softness of her bed. Despite all the comfort it had provided her in the past, her hands could only feel the bedding's blankness at that moment.

The amulet around her neck was laden from the wet string that held it, the smooth gold pressing hard against her chest. It made her knees weak, the woman's legs urging to bend as she shivered. Her figure was illuminated by the moonlight that streamed through the window, turning Bastet's quivering form a dusky brown, ginger hair gaining a mahogany sheen as it fell over her face.

A pair of arms wrapped around her bare body and she gave a faint gasp to the touch. Feeling unbalanced from the sudden warmth, the woman released her hold on the sheets and leaned back instead of being pulled like the times before.

"I thought you left" she said after a moment, her eyes wet and hot.

"I went for a walk" Bakura said simply.

"I see" the woman breathed as his fingers traced over her skin. "How was that?"

"Very good, thank you"

_Thank you_. The words of gratitude she'd wanted to hear were so unimportant now.

Turning around in his arms, Bastet's hands moved against the knowledge of how unacceptable this all was, sliding up the thief's chest and over his ears, burying her fingers in his hair as she pulled him downwards.

She had always been yearning for something in life, not knowing what it was as she patiently completed her daily tasks, waiting for it to appear before her. The callused hands running down her back and the hotness of Bakura's mouth probably wasn't what she truly wanted, but it felt closer to it than anything else so far. Bastet arched against him as the thief king pulled her closer, the woman's mouth parting in a silent gasp as his lips left hers to drag along her neck. Teeth grazed over her skin and the redhead heard herself whimper, fear and excitement becoming indistinguishable.

Raking through his hair, Bastet's palms traveled down his front until her fingers found the ties of his robes, unraveling them with ease. For a brief moment Bakura released her, allowing the loosened cloth the slide to the floor before caging the woman in his arms yet again. She welcomed her capture, one hand running across the muscles of his back while the other pulled away the last barrier between them, the dark blue material falling to their feet soundlessly.

In seconds the woman felt the mattress beneath her, a startled noise leaving her throat as her skin tingled from the force of being thrown.

"If you like," he told her, a hand pressing down near her thigh "You can think of this as thanks"

After a few faint intakes of air the redhead had regained her senses and shook her head, ginger hair splaying beneath her untidily.

She saw a smirk play across his face as the thief joined her on the bed, a feral gleam in his eyes. Hot puffs of air washed over her stomach as he advanced, the man's gaze never leaving hers as his mouth roamed over the skin of her breasts. Bastet's eyelids flicked shut from the contact. For a moment she remained like this, eyes closed as Bakura curled his lips over a nipple. Her stomach tightened, the redhead's breath coming out in uneven rasps as she tried to contain whatever was pushing through her veins. With a flutter Bastet reopened her eyes, his gaze still on her. The intensity he watched her with felt unbearable, but it seemed equally unbearable to look away, his steel eyes glinting in the darkness.

_Beautiful_, she thought, her ability to speak fading further away with each lap of Bakura's tongue.

The thief king bit down on her wetted flesh lightly before removing his mouth, one hand trailing up her side while the other slipped under the woman's neck. Bastet had thought he planned on taking hold of her hair, but instead Bakura traced his fingers over the string around her throat, his other hand grasping the golden amulet resting on her chest. Without warning he pulled it tight, two fingers hooked under the string to keep it from pressing into her while he leaned forward and dug his canines into the thin strip of leather.

An audible snap could be heard as his breath seared her throat, the clank of metal dull in her ears. After tossing the amulet aside Bakura rose slightly, staring down at Bastet's moonlit figure as if to admire his handiwork.

"_Much _better" he growled approvingly.

This time he _did_ grab her hair, pulling Bastet's body against his as he licked and nipped at the skin of her bare neck. She clung to him helplessly as he forced her head to tilt backwards, overwhelmed by the throbbing beneath her scalp and between her legs. The hand that wasn't tangled in her hair pressed hard against the small of her back, her legs slipping around his waist as their stomachs touched. The woman felt his hardened manhood rub against her, hot and pulsing as it grazed over a part of her that was utterly hypersensitive. The feeling was so raw that she had nearly mistaken it for pain, crying out sharply in response. Bakura chuckled lowly at her reaction, grinding against Bastet again to draw out another stricken yelp.

"Have you never known _pleasure?_" he inquired, sliding his hand from the snake tamer's hair as she pressed her face against his neck, trying to muffle conflicted whimpers.

No, he supposed, loosening his hold to lay the redhead on her back again, one arm still beneath her as he took hold of his member and pressed the tip to her wet entrance. Leaning close as he slid inside of her, Bakura rested his forehead against hers lightly, observing every flicker of detail in her expression. Her roan eyes had been wide and hungry at first, drinking in the sight of him entering her, but once he was completely buried her jaw tightened slightly, legs reflexively trying to close. He was sure she wasn't confused about what she felt this time, and so he bated himself.

It was very different than with Seto. Bakura filled her slowly, the unrushed action tantalizing. Dazedly she had been enjoying it, somewhat mystified at how careful the man was being. Then his manhood rubbed against still-tender flesh and Bastet was unable to ignore the remnants of pain shooting up through her body. Her legs squeezed against his waist as an unpleasant jolt ran through them and the redhead froze immediately, fearing the man atop her would think of her actions as encouragement.

Bakura did not move as she had expected him to. Closing his grey eyes, the man tilted his head, brushing his lips against hers before kissing her firmly. The callused hand under the woman's back slid up to cradle her head, leaving Bastet in a state of bewilderment. While his mouth was as warm and capturing as before, this kiss felt entirely different. Slow and soft, with the man tasting her lips as though he had all the time in the world.

It was the sort of kiss she imagined lovers would share.

The fingers of his free hand grazed along her hip, touching the crescent indents on her skin as he pulled out of her slightly, thrusting back inside at an even slower pace than before. Why was he being like this? Bastet tore her mouth from his as a soft sob forced its way from her throat.

"Shh" he breathed into her ear. "I don't like it when my women cry"

She nodded obediently, biting her lip as he continued with the gentle motions that were making her eyes well. Without notice the tendrils of pain drifted away, and for a brief moment she felt numb before a flash of something much more desirable raced through her. Her teeth lost their hold as Bastet gasped, arching against him eagerly. She forgot about gentleness she had found so painfully odd, no longer knowing why tears ran down her cheeks.

The separation between body and mind became evanescent, the woman's sense of time and memories of what had occurred before every second that passed becoming lost. Burning friction became slick heat, her hips moving in time with his as she followed the instincts that drove her to edge of what felt like madness. Her pounding heart and suffocating gasps were one and the same, each pushing her body to go further, begging him to go deeper. She felt her head tip backwards, Bakura's tongue tracing over her jugular temptingly.

"I'm going to kill the pharaoh, Bastet" the man growled into her ear. The proclamation was out of place to a sickening degree, and yet the snake tamer could only moan in agreement. "I'll destroy everything he knows and cares for…" his thrust were becoming erratic, pushing the woman beneath him towards her inescapable climax. "The priests…the villagers…_and you!_"

As though his voice had been the driving force, Bastet saw the world flash white and she was swallowed by immoral bliss. _Yes!_ How she had longed to hear such promises. _Everything…the things I hate…this body…please…!_

Only when the thief king covered her mouth with his own did Bastet realize she was saying her thoughts aloud. Letting him drink the rest of her words, she felt no worse for it.

Their lips parted, the ginger haired woman panting quietly as her body went limp. It was a few seconds afterwards that the steel eyed man atop her let out a low hiss of pleasure, liquid heat filling her core. Bastet shut her eyes as he pulled out of her, squeezing her inner muscles tight to try and hold onto the sensation for just a little longer.

Bakura rolled onto his side wordlessly, his eyes hidden from sight as his ragged hair cast shadows over his face. Bastet did the same, searching for his lost gaze before raising a weak hand to his cheek. Her fingers brushed against the scar below his eye in a way she might have called affectionate had she enough courage. The thief grabbed her hand with one of his own, pulling her arm down to his waist where their intertwined fingers came to rest.

"Sleep" he told her.

The woman managed to shake her head, pressing a damp cheek against his chest. "I don't want to sleep yet…" she murmured, her eyelids feeling like lead. "Because once I awaken…you will be gone…"

A brief chuckle passed through the air, the sound of his laughter vibrating through her skin teasingly. "That's true. You're too weary to be any fun a second time, however. What's the point in staying any longer?"

The redhead let her eyes close. "Tell me a story to put me to sleep, then"

"A story?" echoing her words like a question, Bakura sounded nearly human. "Which story might that be?"

Opening her eyes ever so slightly, Bastet focused on the blurred vision of the moon outside her window. "…Yours" she breathed, shutting her eyes again when they started to sting.

* * *

_The End_

I am so sorry it took me this long.


End file.
